Shipping crate



Dec. 26, 1939. T G. SPOONER 2,184,854

I SHIPPING CRATE Original Filed July 6, 1936 v a 1 77am Glewfworzez Patented Dec. 26, 1939 em a SHIPPING CRATE Talma Glenn Spooner, Benton Harbor, Mich.

Application July '6, 1936, Serial No. 88,919

Renewed Gctober 13, 1 938 8 Claims.

' This invention relates to shipping crates or boxes, and more particularly to those which are employed for shipping berriesand other small fruits.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby 'a shipping container, or fruit case, as they are called, may be advantageously made of fiber board, preferably corrugated fiber board, in such shapethat it may be shipped to the user in knockdown or practically fiat condition, and may then be put together or assembled Without the use of nails or staples or other fastening devices, and which can then be shipped in loaded condition in a safe and satisfactory manner. I

It is also an object to'provide certain-details and features of construction and novel combinations tending to increase the general 'efiiciency and desirability of a shipping crate or container of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective of a shipping container embodying the principles of the invention, showing the same in assembled condition.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing one of the interior sections or sub-units of the container, in position to be pushed into the external casing -or main body section of the container.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the trays or dividers employed in the two sub-units or compartments of the container, to provide upper and lower subcompartments for the berry trays or small boxes in which fruitof this kind is ordinarily shipped.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on linedt in Fig. l of the-drawingona larger scale, with the right-hand end portion of the container shown broken away for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail fragmentary secside walls of the main body section I when the sections are assembled in the manner shown. in Fig. l of the drawing. Each hollow subsection 2 and 3 has an interior divider t, having vertical supporting walls 5 resting on the bottom of the section, to form a shelf midway between the top and bottom of the c'rateor box, so that the berry or fruit trays t, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, are in upper and lower tiers when the crate or box is loaded and ready for shipping. The holes i in the walls 5 register with "the holes 8 in the side walls of the sections 2 and 3 when the different sections-are assembled together. These holes, together with the holes in the side walls of the body i, provide ventilation for the fruit, and the top and bottom walls of the body l'may also be provided with ventilating openings. The openings iii in the outer walls of the sections 2 and -55 form'handholds for lifting the crate or box when loaded.

The construction may involvev the use of any suitable -materials, fiber board of any suitable kind, but preferably the well known corrugated. fiber board is employed, with the corrugations and :the grain :of ;the board .ge-xtending vertically in .all .vertical walls, and continuously therefrom in all horizontal walls, whereby all .fold lines between the edgesaofthewalls are ttransver-seof the corrugations. and of .the grain of thefiber board. ,As shown :in :Fig. .5, the :ends ,of the blanks from which thehollow sections Ii, .2, and El .are made can be connected together by :adhesive .tape it or by any. suitable flexible means, and inathis way eachhollowsection-canzbe folded flat .forshipping or storage;

Preferably, .one of the sections .2 and 3 is smaller than the .othenso that one canberforced into the other, together with a tray or :divider 1, :to formlaiha'lf crate, when .a full or complete crate or box is not desired. In that .event,.the outer body section i, which is employed when a full or complete crate or box is desired, is preferably made smaller at one end to compensate for the, difference in size between the sections addition, a shipping case of this kind is relatively light, while at the same time strong and durable, and is attractive in appearance.

It will be seen that each divider 4 has the lower edges of its side walls 5 adapted to rest on the floor or bottom wall of the sections 2 and 3, thus reducing the weight of the load in the upper compartment on the fruit or the like in the lower compartment, as the top wall of'each divider is sufiiciently stifi to support the load thereon, and in addition the fruit baskets or trays 6 keep the walls 5 spread apart.

With the parts as shown in Fig. 1, the holes I register with the holes 8, and the holes [3 register with the holes M, at top and bottom, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawing, and at such time the holes 15 are in line with the holes I 3 and. H3 as shown. Also, at such time, the holes 9 and i2 open into the open ends of the short members 2 and 3 of the package thus formed. But when one short member is used in the other short member, their holes l4 register vertically. Thus, in both methods of use there is adequate ventilation in the interior of the box structure.

It is obvious, of course, that one side wall of each of the two compartments 2 and 3 closes one outer end of the sleeve l, in the manner shown. At the same time, it is obvious, of course, that assuming a division of the said sleeve transversely along the dotted lines shown at the middie in Fig. 1, the other side wall of each inside compartment forms a closing wall for the inner end of half of the sleeve.

It is important to observe that the dividers 4 have their flexible side walls 5 held flatwise against the side walls of the compartments 2 and 3, thereby to prevent the dividers from collapsing, while insuring sufilcient flexibility for the dividers to permitthem to be collapsed flatwise with the two compartments in the outer sleeve, so that the latter will form the substantially fiat exterior of a substantially flat package.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A shipping case for fruit and the like, comprising a relatively long tapered rectangular sleeve member open at each end thereof, and a couple of relatively short rectangular sleeve members open at each end thereof, one larger than the other to telescope over the latter when a smaller shipping case is desired, but disposed side by side within said tapered sleeve member, with the sides of the latter closing the open ends of the two relatively short sleeve members, when a larger case is desired, the longer of the two short members being at the larger end of the long member and the smaller one at the smaller end, and with the open ends of the tapered sleeve member closed by side walls of said relatively short members.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, and dividers having side walls resting on the bottom of said short member, against the sides of the latter, providing upper and lower spaces in each short member.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said sleeve members all being adapted to collapse flatwise when not in use, so that when empty the entire case may form a flat package.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said long sleeve member having its side provided with ventilating openings opposite the open ends of the two short members, and the sides of the latter having similar openings therein.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said short members having hand hole openings in the sides thereof, disposed in position for lifting the case. 1

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, the tops and bottoms of all said members having registering ventilating openings therein.

'7. A structure as specified in claim 1, and dividers having side walls resting on the bottom of said short member, against the sides of the latter, providing upper and lower spaces in each short member, said dividers and membersall having some registering ventilating openings in walls thereof.

8. In a shipping package, the combination of flexibly connected top and bottom and side walls forming a rectangular sleeve open at each end and having a flexible fold line along each longitudinal corner thereof, so that the sleeve may be collapsed flat for storage or shipment, a pair of rectangular compartments each formed by flexibly connected top and bottom and side walls and open at each end, fitting inside said sleeve, in direct contact with the latter, with the side walls of the sleeve closing the open ends of said compartments, and with one side wall of each compartment closing an open outer end of the sleeve, while the other side wall of each compartment forms a wall for the inner end of one-half of said sleeve, whereby thetop and bottom walls of the sleeve combine with top and bottom walls of the compartment to provide the package with double top. and bottom walls, together with a flexible and horizontal divider in each compartment, forming upper and lower subcompartments therein, with each sub-compartment closed at its opposite ends by the side Walls of the sleeve, each divider having flexible and vertical side walls bearing flatwise against the side walls of its allotted compartment, to prevent the divider from collapsing, and so that the space formed under each divider is closed at its opposite open ends by the side wall of the sleeve, each compartment and each divider being also adapted to be collapsed fiat.

TALMA GLENN SPOONER. 

